The immune system is the body's defense against diseases and every day, it helps us stay healthy by fighting viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.

But sometimes this complex system makes mistakes and can disrupt its operation. In those cases, the body itself mistakes healthy cells for a threat and may mistakenly attack them, causing autoimmune diseases.

A group of researchers from Stanford University published a study that claims that the reason why women are more prone to suffer from autoimmune diseases is due to the X sex chromosome. Research suggests that a special set of molecules that act on the two pairs of X chromosomes that women have in all their cells - rather than having the combination of XY chromosomes like men that works harder to protect against these diseases - can confuse the immune system.

Autoimmune diseases in numbers:

• They are a group of more than 100 chronic diseases.
• 4% of the world's population suffer from autoimmune diseases and 75% are women
• Many autoimmune disorders tend to affect women during periods of intense stress, such as pregnancy, or during a major hormonal change.
• If there is one case of autoimmune disease in the family, there is likely another. However, it is not a particular autoimmune disease that is hereditary, but rather it is a tendency toward autoimmunity.

Among the most common autoimmune diseases in women we find:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), whose symptoms are fatigue, joint pain, skin rashes, fever, and sensitivity to sunlight.
• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis that manifests itself in the body through fatigue, weight gain, sensitivity to cold, constipation, dry skin and brittle hair. This disease affects the thyroid gland, causing inflammation that can lead to a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) brings severe joint pain, morning stiffness, inflammation, joint deformities and fatigue. And because it is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the joints, it leads to joint damage and disability.
• Scleroderma is the thickening and hardening of the skin, which causes circulation problems, joint pain and breathing problems. While it primarily affects the skin, it can also damage internal organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes fatigue, muscle weakness, coordination problems, vision problems, numbness or tingling. It is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, causing inflammation and damage to myelin, the protective layer around nerve fibers.
• Myasthenia gravis manifests itself with muscle weakness, fatigue, double vision, difficulty speaking and swallowing.
• Crohn's Disease causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and fever. As an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus.

How are they diagnosed?

Doctors often have difficulty diagnosing these diseases, and there is no specific test to confirm them. This is because many autoimmune diseases have symptoms - such as muscle pain - that are common in many other conditions. And it can take a lot of time and visits to different specialist doctors to get an accurate diagnosis.

In general the results are obtained from:

LAB TESTS:

Biomarkers are measurable characteristics that can indicate the presence or severity of a disease. In the case of autoimmune diseases, several specific biomarkers have been identified that can help in the diagnosis and classification of these diseases. Some examples of biomarkers include autoantibodies, cytokines, and genetic markers. These biomarkers can be detected through laboratory tests, such as blood tests or tissue samples.

IMAGING TECHNIQUES IN DIAGNOSIS

In addition to biomarkers, imaging techniques play an important role in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) allow visualization of structural and functional changes in the affected organs. These imaging techniques can provide additional information to support the diagnosis and evaluate disease progression.

While there are still questions to be answered, this finding on the incidence of the X sex chromosome represents an important step toward a more complete understanding of autoimmunity, paving the way for future research and more precise and effective therapies.